Thomas Allen, Tyler Gibson and Giuseppe Gentile were named preseason...

Courtesy: Charlotte Sports Information

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Charlotte, NC – The nationally-ranked Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer team, who captured their second Atlantic 10 regular-season championship in the last three years in 2012, was picked third in the preseason Conference USA coaches poll in a vote by the league’s 10 head coaches. The 49ers led all Conference USA teams with three preseason All-League selections. Seniors defender Thomas Allen and midfielder Tyler Gibson and junior forward Giuseppe Gentile were named to the preseason All-Conference USA team.

Charlotte returns seven starters and 15 letterwinners from last season’s Atlantic 10 Regular-Season Champion and NCAA Tournament participant squad. The 49ers went 15-4-3 and 7-1-1 in the Atlantic 10 last season.

Kevin Langan, who is entering his second season as head coach, returns several key players including All-Atlantic 10 and All-Mid-Atlantic region selections Gibson, Allen, Gentile and Klay Davis.

Gentile, who earned second-team All-Atlantic 10 honors last season, led the 49ers in assists with seven. He finished second on the team with nine goals. He tallied game-winning goals against Kentucky, George Washington and UAB in the NCAA Tournament. In October, he scored three goals and tallied two assists in the same weekend in Charlotte’s victories over Massachusetts and Rhode Island. For his performance in those two games, he was named TopDrawerSoccer.com’s National Player of the Week as well as Atlantic 10 Player of the Week.

Last season, Gibson, who earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors for the third straight season, was named first-team All-Region for the second straight year. Gibson was also a member of the Hermann Award watch list. Last season, Gibson finished tied for second on the team with six assists. He also scored three goals including game-winning goals against Stony Brook and Duquesne.

Last year, Allen, who earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors, anchored a 49ers defense which recorded nine shutouts and limited 18 foes to a goal or less. Allen, who earned several National Team of the Week honors, finished the season with two goals and one assist. He scored the game-winning goal in the 49ers’ 1-0 double overtime win over #14 Coastal Carolina, August 27.

Charlotte begins the 2013 season with an exhibition game on the road at Winthrop, August 20. Then, Charlotte plays Davidson at Transamerica Field in their final exhibition game, August 24. The 49ers begin the regular-season on the road at Denver, August 30.